Deering's Jon Rheault makes NHL debut with Florida Panthers

In his fifth professional season, Jon Rheault is in the National Hockey League.

Rheault, of Deering, was called up by the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. The right wing was playing in the AHL for the San Antonio Rampage, where he was leading the club in 37 points (17-20-37).

The announcement came in conjunction with the news that Florida's longest-tenured player, center Stephen Weiss, will undergo wrist surgery and will be lost for the rest of the season.

Rheault was a plus-1 Tuesday night as the Panthers beat Winnipeg, 4-1, in Florida.

A product of the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs and Providence College, Rheault began his AHL career in 2008-09 with the Manchester Monarchs. Since those 24 games with the Monarchs, he was played with the Ontario Reign of the ECHL, the Providence Bruins, the Monarchs again (2009-10, for 35 games), the Abbotsford Heat of the AHL, then the Rampage this season.